Last week’s announcement of Canada's renewed advisory against non-essential travel caps a string of bad news for the travel business. On 30NOV, Canada announced an additional requirement for testing on arrival for international air travellers and two days later, the U.S. tightened the pre-departure test result window to 24 hours.
Canada’s broader aviation industry, including all actors in the food chain – airlines, airports, ground transport, hoteliers, travel agents, tourism bodies, hospitality, events management, tour and ground operators, entertainment and more – have suffered a massive decline in activity, revenues and employment since the onset of the pandemic.
Advance bookings to Sun destinations this winter and to Europe next summer were strengthening and set to deliver a much-needed fiscal shot in the arm.
Recent government mandates, through travel bans, restrictions and blanket advisories, threaten our already weakened aviation and travel sectors just at the point when that positive traction and recovery was in sight. Negative advance booking trends that took hold two weeks ago are – since Wednesday's announcement – being compounded by a wave of costly airline and ground cancellations. For the average traveller, all of this has simply gotten too complicated and thoughts of travel will be punted further down the proverbial runway.
Let's face it: Canadians are a risk averse people. Unfortunately, this national character trait has manifested itself institutionally through nanny-state decision making. The latest non-essential travel advisory continues the trend of reactionary, knee-jerk announcements from paternalistic politicians that act as if only government knows best.
The latest non-essential travel advisory continues the trend of reactionary, knee-jerk announcements from paternalistic politicians that act as if only government knows best.
This is clearly no substitute for common sense and data driven policy making, and only serves as a theatrical political cover to show our leaders are taking bold, decisive action. Moreover, Canada's travel measures continue to be out of synch with border policies put in place in other countries, and this is hurting our citizens and our businesses. We are eroding our own competitive position globally.
Canadian government policies are distinctly at odds with the reality on the ground. For example, our aviation sector has been at the forefront of many subsequent policy developments, including required passenger masking, PPE for airport/hotel staff and inflight crews, stringent airport, aircraft and hotel cleanliness protocols, and requirements for staff to be fully vaccinated in advance of the government-mandated vaccination rule for passengers travelling on any federally regulated transportation system.
All of this, along with pre-departure testing, arrival testing, and the high effectiveness of onboard HEPA air filtering, means that air travel in Canada is one of most tested and protective consumer activities. Which makes the latest measures all the more galling: the Omicron Covid variant is already in Canada, and spreading rapidly.
Further restricting air travel measures will not make Canada a safer place, just as forcing Canada’s major airlines to suspend flights to Sun destinations between January and April of this year did not stop Canada’s third Covid wave.
But no, none of this is enough. Ottawa wants Canadians to be fearful of travel. As if we cannot summon our own intellect to decide if travelling and being beyond Canada's shores during a pandemic are risks we are willing or not willing to take. I think most of us get it: border rules and travel restrictions are fluid, and there is the risk of catching Covid and having to quarantine, at cost, for up to two weeks while away from home.
But for heaven's sake, after nearly two years of the pandemic, at least give Canadians one modicum of decision making for our own travel destiny without further obstructing us or further harming our industry.
Confidence in air travel has been dealt a devastating blow, and this means we are going to suffer more for some time to come. Vacation plans will be cancelled, distant family reunions will be delayed, business deals will be compromised and some travel sector participants will again layoff employees and face worsening outcomes up to and including failure.
O Canada, 154 years after Confederation, we can do better. Much better. It's not too late.
Rob Kokonis
President & Managing Director
AirTrav Inc.
Founded by travel industry veteran Rob Kokonis, AirTrav Inc. is an aviation and travel sector consultancy based in Toronto, Canada. The company provides advisory services to airlines, airports, industry associations, governments, investors and law firms in Canada and throughout the world on a wide-range of subject matters.
